"Lisztomania"

Glassnote
/
Loyauté

Artists:

Phoenix open both their upcoming fourth album and their recent SNL appearance with this effervescent track, which is telling. "Lisztomania", perhaps even more than "1901", is the song to open with, to come onstage to, to greet the cheers of an audience, to set the mood for the show. Not that Phoenix need an introduction at this point in their career-- you may remember them from that Sofia Coppola movie-- but this really is an excellent introduction to the Frenchmen's pop universe, and not just became of that "showtime" bridge.

While the Hungarian composer who inspired the title pun is not really present in the song, "Lisztomania" is nevertheless carefully and lovingly composed, breaking out the ebbs, flows, breakdowns, build-ups, and a frantic two-note intro that will exert a Pavlovian effect on fans. This is Phoenix at their most exacting and urbane, and instead of sounding fussy and overthought, every section of the track makes every other section sounds even more spirited and even more sophisticated; the whole is so much more than the sum of its considerable parts. Few bands so effortlessly communicate such an unshakable belief in the power of the well-constructed song, which might make "Lisztomania" the feel-good hit of the beginning of summer.